2008 TOYOTA RAV4 child seat

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A forwardfacing child restraint sys-
tem should be allowed to be
installed on the front passenger
seat only when it is unavoidable.
Always move the seat as far back
as possible even if the “AIR BAG
OFF” indicator light is illuminated,
because the front passenger airbag
could inflate with considerable
speed and force. Otherwise, the
child may be killed or seriously in-
jured.
On vehicles with side airbags and
curtain shield airbags, do not allow
the child to lean his/her head or
any part of his/her body against the
door or the area of the seat, front
or center and roof side garnish
from which the side airbags or cur-
tain shield airbags deploy even if
the child is seated in the child re-
straint system. It is dangerous if
the side airbag and/or curtain shield
airbag inflate, and the impact could
cause death or serious injury to the
child.
Do not use the seat belt extender
when installing a child restraint
system on the front or rear passen-
ger seat. If installing a child re-
straint system with the seat belt
extender connected to the seat belt,
the seat belt will not securely hold
the child restraint system, which
could cause death or serious injury
to the child or other passengers in
the event of collision.
Make sure you have complied with
all installation instructions provided
by the child restraint manufacturer
and that the system is properly se-
cured. If it is not secured properly,
it may cause death or serious injury
to the child in the event of a sud-
den stop or accident.
A child restraint system for a small
child or baby must itself be properly
restrained on the seat with the lap por-
tion of the lap/shoulder belt. You must
carefully consult the manufacturer ’s
instructions which accompany the child
restraint system.
To provide proper restraint, use a child
restraint system following the manufactur-
er ’s instructions about the appropriate age
and size of the child for the child restraint
system.
Install the child restraint system correctly
following the instructions provided by its
manufacturer. General directions are also
provided under the following illustrations.
The child restraint system should be
installed on the rear seat. According to
accident statistics, the child is safer when
properly restrained in the rear seat than
in the front seat.
—Child restraint system

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2008 RAV4 from Feb. ’08 Prod. (OM42726U)
CAUTION
When the child restraint system is
not in use:
Keep the child restraint system
properly secured on the seat even
if it is not in use. Do not store the
restraint unsecured in the passen-
ger compartment.
If it is necessary to detach the
child restraint system, remove it
from the vehicle or store it securely
in the luggage compartment. This
will prevent it from injuring passen-
gers in the event of a sudden stop
or accident.
Child restraint systems are classified into
the following 3 types depending on the
child’s age and size.
(A) Infant seat
(B) Convertible seat
(C) Booster seat
Install the child restraint system following
the instructions provided by its manufac-
turer.
Your vehicle has anchor brackets for se-
curing the top strap of a child restraint
system.
For instructions about how to use the an-
chor bracket, see “—Using a top strap” on
page 100 in this Section.
The child restraint lower anchorages ap-
proved for your vehicle may also be used.
See “—Installation with child restraint low-
er anchorages” on page 104 in this Sec-
tion.
(A) Infant seat
(B) Convertible seat
—Types of child restraint
system

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(C) Booster seat(A) INFANT SEAT INSTALLATION
An infant seat must be used in rear
facing position only.CAUTION
Never install a rearfacing child re-
straint system on the front passen-
ger seat even if the “AIR BAG OFF”
indicator light is illuminated. In the
event of an accident, the force of
the rapid inflation of the front pas-
senger airbag can cause death or
serious injury to the child if the
rearfacing child restraint system is
installed on the front passenger
seat.
—Installation with seat belt

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2008 RAV4 from Feb. ’08 Prod. (OM42726U)
Do not install a child restraint sys-
tem on the rear/second or third
seat if it interferes with the lock
mechanism of the front or second
seats. Otherwise, the child or front
or second seat occupant(s) may be
killed or seriously injured in case
of sudden braking or a collision.
If the driver ’s seat position does
not allow sufficient space for safe
installation, install the child re-
straint system on the rear right
seat.
Same
positionSame angle
When installing a child restraint
system on the rear/second center
position, adjust both seat cushions
to the same position and align all
seatbacks at the same angle. Other-
wise, the child restraint system can-
not be securely restrained and this
may cause death or serious injuries
in a collision.To install the infant seat:
1. Run the lap and shoulder belt through or around the infant seat following the
instructions provided by its manufactur-
er and insert the tab into the buckle
taking care not to twist the belt. Keep
the lap portion of the belt tight.

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CAUTION
After inserting the tab, make sure
the tab and buckle are locked and
that the lap and shoulder portions
of the belt are not twisted.
Do not insert coins, clips, etc. in
the buckle as this may prevent your
child from properly latching the tab
and buckle.
If the seat belt does not function
normally, it cannot protect your
child from death or serious injury.
Contact your Toyota dealer immedi-
ately. Do not install the child
restraint system on the seat until
the seat belt is fixed.
2. Fully extend the shoulder belt to put itin the lock mode. When the belt is
then retracted even slightly, it cannot
be extended.
To hold the infant seat securely, make
sure the belt is in the lock mode before
letting the belt retract.3. While pressing the infant seat firmly against the seat cushion and seatback,
let the shoulder belt retract as far as
it will go to hold the infant seat secure-
ly.

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CAUTION
Push and pull the child restraint sys-
tem in different directions to be sure
it is secure. Follow all the installation
instructions provided by its manufac-
turer.
To remove the infant seat:
Press the buckle release button and allow
the belt to retract completely. The belt will
move freely again and be ready to work
for an adult or older child passenger.Rear/second center seat: If the seat in
which a child restraint system is installed
in the rear most position, release the cen-
ter seat belt after removing the child re-
straint system. Otherwise, the rear center
seat belt may not work properly.

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(B) CONVERTIBLE SEAT INSTALLATION
A convertible seat must be used in for-
wardfacing or rearfacing position de-
pending on the age and size of the
child. When installing, follow the
manufacturer ’s instructions about the
applicable age and size of the child as
well as directions for installing the
child restraint system.Install the child restraint system on the
front passenger seat only when it is un-
avoidable. Your vehicle is equipped with a
front passenger occupant classification
system. In order to activate the occu
pant
classification system correctly, install the
forward −facing child restraint system on
the front passenger seat in the following
order:
1. Turn the engine switch to the “ON” position.
2. Move the front passenger seat to the rearward position.
3. Put the child restraint system on the front passenger seat without putting
your weight on the front passenger
seat.
4. Insert the seat belt tab into the seat belt buckle.
5. Fully extend the shoulder belt to put it in the lock mode. When the belt is
then retracted even slightly, it cannot
be extended. To hold the seat securely,
make sure the belt is in the lock mode
before letting the belt retract. 6. While pressing the convertible seat
firmly against the seat cushion and
seatback, let the shoulder belt retract
as far as it will go to hold the convert-
ible seat securely.
CAUTION
Push and pull the child restraint sys-
tem in different directions to be sure
it is secure. Follow all the installation
instructions provided by its manufac-
turer.
7. Put a child on the child restraint sys-tem and secure the child, complying
with the instructions provided by the
child restraint system manufacturer.

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The “AIR BAG OFF” indicator light should
be illuminated when the engine switch is
in the “ON” position and the child is in the
child restraint system after following these
procedures. The “AIR BAG OFF” indicator
light indicates the SRS front passenger
airbag and side airbag on the passenger
side will not deploy. If the “AIR BAG ON”
indicator light is illuminated, remove the
child restraint system and reinstall it with
the engine switch in the “ACC” or “LOCK”
position. If the “AIR BAG ON” indicator
light is illuminated when the engine switch
is turned to the “ON” position, then the
SRS front passenger airbag and side air-
bag on the passenger side may deploy in
an accident. Do not drive the vehicle in
this condition. Remove the child restraint
system and contact your Toyota dealer.CAUTION
Never install a rearfacing child re-
straint system on the front passen-
ger seat. A forwardfacing child re-
straint system should only be
installed on the front passenger
seat when unavoidable. If you must
install the child restraint system on
the front passenger seat, put the
seat in its most rearward position,
and install the forwardfacing child
restraint system in the proper or-
der. Otherwise, the front passenger
occupant classification system can
not detect the presence of the child
restraint system and the front pas-
senger airbag and side airbag on
the front passenger seat could
deploy, and the impact could cause
death or serious injury to the child.
Never install a rearfacing child re-
straint system on the front passen-
ger seat even if the “AIR BAG OFF”
indicator light is illuminated. In the
event of an accident, the impact of
the rapid inflation of the front pas-
senger airbag could cause death or
serious injury to the child if the
rearfacing child restraint system is
installed on the front passenger
seat.